Meet Your Colleagues : Kishawn Leuthauser
Kishawn Leuthauser has spent the past five years building her grants management career at the Louis and Harold Price Foundation in Louisville, Colorado. During that time, her position has evolved from Executive Assistant to Program & Grants Manager, encompassing both grants administration and program officer responsibilities. In January of this year, she was appointed Vice President and is currently responsible for financial operations, legal and audit compliance, and managing the grants process.
The Price Foundation was created by father and son Louis and Harold Price in 1951. In 1965 Harold was responsible for the successful merger of the Joe Lowe and Consolidated Foods Corporations, now known as the Sara Lee Corporation. Through their shareholdings in Sara Lee, Louis and Harold generously funded their foundation and guided its existence for many years, supporting innovative and creative programs in the areas of education, entrepreneurship education, health, and human social services.
A native Coloradoan, Kishawn grew up in the heart of Denver and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a B.S. in Journalism. Instead of pursuing a career in her degree field, Kishawn spent more than 12 years in the banking business. In 2004, while working as a personal trust officer for a small trust and investment firm in Denver, she decided to leave the financial field and join the Price Foundation. Working fewer hours at the foundation (four days per week) provided her with extra time at home with her husband and three children, a 15 year-old step-son, eight-year old, and four-year old.
Kishawn learned about the Grants Managers Network (GMN) through the Rocky Mountain GIFTS User Group, which evolved into the Rocky Mountain Region of GMN in 2006. She recently assumed the role of co-chair of the Rocky Mountain Region after spending several years helping with the planning and implementation of meetings. “Being involved in GMN has provided me with a network of friends and colleagues, and greater confidence in my ability to be effective and knowledgeable in my position,” she says. “Knowing there are so many helpful members to turn to for knowledge sharing is a wonderful resource to have and has contributed to my career growth.”
Kishawn’s vision for the field of grants management is to continue helping grants managers become technology experts. She would also like to see GMN form closer relationships with the Association for Small Foundations, the Council on Foundations, and other affinity groups in order to expand educational outreach. She says, “To me these advances would enable and empower many grants management professionals with the necessary skills to further their careers.”
In her spare time, Kishawn and her family enjoy Colorado's outdoor activities, including skiing, camping, and bike riding. Now that her children are older, she hopes to return to pre-children hobbies of traveling and scuba diving.